U.S. Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., is sponsoring the Clean Energy Victory Bonds Act of 2012 (H.R.6275), which would enable the continuation of the production tax credit (PTC) and other clean energy incentives for 10 years.

According to nonprofit Green America, the bill would extend the PTC and other proven federal programs by up to a decade. It would also give all Americans a way to invest in a clean energy future that creates energy independence, jobs and economic opportunities.

The bonds would work in the same manner as they did during World War II, when 85 million Americans purchased victory bonds from the federal government to help restore the U.S. economy. That program raised $185 billion, the equivalent of $2 trillion in today's dollars, notes the nonprofit.

Clean Energy Victory Bonds could leverage $50 billion in investments to create more than $150 billion in public and private finance for clean energy, according to Green America.